Where Has June Gone?

WARNING: This post might be long :)

I know it is not over yet but I feel like June has come and is going so quickly. The past two weeks have kept me so so busy! You just have no idea. I am learning that once I become a "real" teacher I will have zero time for blogging. This makes me sad but I tell you what....it has worn me out. I know people may think that teaching is the easiest job or that it is just babysitting but honestly, I feel like since I started teaching this summer and actually having a classroom that is my own, I have not stopped thinking about it. There is constantly lesson plans, activities, ideas, and students who are on my mind. With all that said......I HAVE LOVED IT!!! I cannot imagine going into student teaching in the fall without having had this experience. Seriously. I know that not everyone is passionate about teaching but those of you who are understand. (Lindsey :) haha)

So what have I learned? Teaching is a full time job. I am going to have to really force myself to keep my work life and home life separate because I can tell this will be a challenge for me. I have learned a lot about management in the classroom. I have gotten some great lesson ideas for when I actually start teaching and I really do feel like I have been able to make everything that I have done fun for the kids.

P.S. I have the greatest kids. Seriously...there are about 60 of them and they are great. If I could post pictures I would but.....ya know. Can't do it.

Oh, I also now know why teachers have a love/hate relationship with field trips. Can anyone say exhausting? Yeah. They wipe me out. Needless to say.....these last couple of weeks have been so much fun...so draining...and so worthwhile. This week and next week are all I have left. I am trying to soak it all up and make the most out of it!

Another new thing that has happened is I have been participating in a Bible study with about 10 other women. We are going through the study, Lies Women Believe. We have only met twice but already it has been so refreshing for me personally to be around these ladies. I am learning a lot and truly enjoying the fellowship. I honestly think it is because I am with 9 and 10 year olds all day long and it is just a breath of fresh air to talk about what we are learning and hear how the Lord is working in their hearts.

It is hard not blogging for so long cause I forget what has happened. Brett and I have gotten to spend a lot of time with friends. We went to a shower for two of my friends one weekend and then got to hang out with a few of our closest friends who we had not seen in a while... Not even sure if that makes sense. I guess if we were close we would have seen them but......life has been hectic for us all. We also got to "chaperone" the AJM prom. I wasn't a very good chaperone since I danced half the night....whoops. What can I say? I love to dance.

Oh....and we also celebrated a very special man yesterday. I hate that I didn't get to blog about this yesterday but......time just got away from me. Happy Father's Day to the most amazing father in the world. I know everyone says that but seriously....he wins.

I thought this was a sweet picture of dad holding Virginia. Anyways....he is seriously the most humble, caring, hardworking, forgiving, loving father. He works so hard to take care of our family. He gives FAR MORE than he takes. I have learned so much from him. He is an incredible encourager and is really one of the smartest people I know. I do not know what I would do without him. So...thank you dad for all that you are and all that you mean to our family! I love you!

Anyways....I am so looking forward to this weekend. I am FINALLY getting to see this adorable little girl... (and her parents!!) I cannot wait to squeeze her! Plus, it has been a while since her Aunt Amy and I have gotten to do a weekend photo shoot so I am pumped!

Crazy girl!

You will probably be hearing a lot about this precious thing over the next couple of weeks. Of course with this weekend and then someone also has a first birthday coming up that I am certain will be documented minute by minute!

Have a great week everyone!

A Weekend Blogger

Hello! Hello! So...this title is going to be extremely appropriate for the next few weeks. This is unfortunate but I am afraid it is the way it is. I have a few things to share with you. First of all, I hope your Memorial Day weekend was restful. We spent a lot of it by the pool. Brett's family came into town so I got to spend a good bit of time with them. Side note: I had something completely random happen Sunday night. We went to Macaroni Grill to eat and I had spaghetti like I always do! :) Afterwards, I started getting terrible stomach cramps at the top of my stomach. I figured something just didn't settle right after I ate but it didn't feel like an upset stomach. It just felt really like sharp cramps. As we headed back to Brett's the pain got worse and by the time I was in his house, I was in tears. This is so unlike me and I think I scared Brett and his parents. They called my mom and she came and got me. Keep in mind, I am bawling. I took some medicine, drove to the emergency room but decided not to go in, then came home and took some pain medicine. I was able to sleep that night and woke up fine the next morning. Bizarre. What's the verdict: I have gallstones and will have my gallbladder removed at the beginning of July. Happy summer. :) Just kidding...I don't think it will be too bad!

Gosh, what could top that? Oh, I know...an amazing cookie recipe that I tried on Memorial Day that my family LOVED! I got it from Amanda.

They are called Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I am a huge fan of sweet and salty so it was perfect for me!

Here is what you need:

2 sticks softened butter 3/4 Cup granulated sugar 1 Cup packed light brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 1/2 Tablespoons pure vanilla 1/4 Cup burnt caramel sauce (you can use any caramel sauce here, like Smuckers) 3 3/4 Cup all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 12 oz bag mini chocolate chips 1 1/2 Cups chopped good quality chocolate

Here is what you do...

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until well combined. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, and swirl in the caramel sauce until well combined.

Secondly, place the flour, salt and baking soda into a large bowl and mix. Slowly add to wet ingredients then add the chocolate chips. Save chunks for later. I mixed the dry ingredients by hand and then added them to the wet ingredients.

Yum!

Third, place a 1/4 cup scoop of cookie dough into muffin top cups.

Fourth, sprinkle a little sea salt onto the cookies

Now it is time to place your chocolate chunks on top!

Then you are ready for the oven. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. Also, if I forgot to mention, we baked them in muffin top pans which is what the recipe said but I'm sure you could do it another way.

The result?

The recipe says it makes about 18 cookies but I think we had a few more than that. They are huge and delicious and fairly simple to make! My family ate them all up!

So....what has been keeping me from blogging this week? Well, I mentioned sometime in May that I had applied for a summer enrichment program to get more experience teaching. I am so thankful that I did receive one of the positions and will be teaching 4th grade math. This past week was orientation type stuff, setting up classrooms, planning, and Friday, we had our first day with the kids. It has been such a whirlwind already. I am trying so hard to soak it all up and learn from the good things I do and the mistakes I make. Everything has really gone fairly smooth so far but it is busy busy busy. I felt like I didn't stop this week. My mind has been going 100 miles per hour planning and thinking of new ideas and ways to teach certain things. I feel like I am getting a great experience of what actual teaching will be like. I know it is only a snapshot and not nearly as stressful but it is painting a good picture for me. So, that is what has kept me away and probably will continue to keep me away during the next four weeks. I definitely will try and update on the weekends.

I will say, I would appreciate prayers over the next few weeks. You can pray for my health. I don't want to miss a day of this program and I have already had a couple of....what they call "attacks" with my gallbladder. Basically it is where my stomach hurts really bad and I am in tears. No fun.

Also, pray that I will do my best and remember that everything, including this program, is a privilege that has been given to me by God. I have struggled with thinking I am not prepared enough or good enough to teach this summer. I know that I need to just let go of thinking that I can contribute anything to this program without the help of my Father. I just need to trust Him. You can also pray for each of the precious children that are involved with this program. I know that they need prayers!

Lastly, I have had a struggle this past week with my priorities. I know how important my time with the Lord is and yet, with this work, planning, going to sleep early so that I can wake up early, etc. I have struggled to give the Lord the time that He deserves and that I know I need with Him. Pray that I will prioritize and remember again that I am nothing without Him and that my time with Him is the most precious and valuable time I will have all day.

Okay, I am done rambling. I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! See you in a week, if not before! :)

Crazy Love

While in Africa I finished my book for May. I kept hearing about this book from several people and I had heart so many great things. I am so glad I read it. Francis Chan is one of the most straightforward and honest authors I have ever read. There is even a hint of sarcasm in his writing. Overall, he just spits it straight which I loved. I will give you a few quotes that I really liked but I pretty much underlined the whole book so I would highly recommend reading it.

"To say that God is holy is to say that He is set apart, distinct from us. And because of His set apart-ness, there is no way we can never fathom all of who He is."

"His perfect holiness, by definition, assures us that our words can't contain Him."

"He knows each of us deeply and specifically. He knows our thoughts before we think them, our actions before we commit them, whether we are lying down or sitting or walking around. He knows who we are and what we are about. We cannot escape Him, not even if we want to."

A scary, yet comforting truth.

"God never excuses sin. And He is always consistent with that ethic. Whenever we start to question whether God really hates sin, we have only to think of the cross, where His Son was tortured, mocked, and beaten because of sin. Our sin."

"The point of your life is to point to Him. Whatever you are doing, God wants to be glorified, because this whole thing is His. It is His movie, His world, His gift."

"....when we love God, we naturally run to Him--frequently and zealously.........Our motivation changes from guilt to love."

"The very fact that a holy, eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, merciful, fair, and just God loves you and me is nothing short of astonishing........The greatest knowledge we can ever have is knowing God treasures us."

So true. We are so undeserving of this.

"God wants our best, deserves our best, and demands our best. From the beginning of time, He has been clear that some offerings are acceptable to Him and others are not."

"Following Christ isn't something that can be done halfheartedly or on the side. It is not a label we can display when it is useful. It must be central to everything we do and are."

"In the same way, you have to stop loving and pursuing Christ in order to sin. When you are pursuing love, running toward Christ, you do not have opportunity to wonder, 'Am I doing this right?' or 'Did I serve enough this week?' When you are running toward Christ, you are freed up to serve, love, and give thanks without guilt, worry, or fear. As long as you are running, you are safe."

As believers, we know we should run and run hard for towards Christ and yet I know I fail so often. We know what to do and we know what will satisfy...but still we choose other things.

"If we allow ourselves to live recklessly for Him, then we, too, will see His glory. We will see Him do the impossible."

I like the idea of living recklessly for Christ.

Anyways, like I said, you should probably just read this book! It is so good! Hope you all are having a happy weekend!

Two Unforgettable Weeks

Go ahead and prep yourself that this might be a long blog post. I know it has taken me a long time to finally compose it all! In fact, it has been days. I will come and write a little bit then leave it alone for a while. How do you sum up two extremely life-changing weeks in Africa? It is extremely challenging. I decided to go through and share some of the major experiences we had while we were there. This probably won't touch the surface of all that I learned but I'll give it a go.

We left Atlanta on May 8th and headed for Amsterdam. We ended up being delayed in Atlanta therefore missing our connection in Amsterdam. Day one and already a test of faith. Upon realizing there would not be another flight out of Amsterdam until 10:30 the next morning, I failed. The water works started. Poor Sam...he just didn't understand. I figured it was preparing him for his wife one day. We girls are pretty emotional. Oh, and Delta did not compensate us...at all. We got a little money for some food but that is about it. Sam and I set-up camp and prepared for a longgg 22 hours in the Amsterdam airport. Don't worry, I only had one melt down at the very beginning. It wasn't all bad though....we had some fun and because of a lack of sleep, took some delirious pictures. :)

Our pal Ronald....

After finally boarding our flight to Nairobi, Kenya the next day, we could not wait to be there! The next day at about 8 p.m. we were greeted by Michael and Lesley and lots of rain! We headed to their house, ate some dinner, chatted, showered and hit the hay.

The next day was pretty relaxed. By our third day there we were hitting the ground running. We only had two weeks and the Steven's were so sweet to make sure we got lots of Kenyan experiences in our short time there. Michael teaches at an American school so unfortunately, he wasn't with us all day everyday. We were, however, in great hands with our guide, Lesley. Lesley works in a slum called Kibera with an organization called D.I.G. She has helped some AIDS victims learn to plant their own vegetables so that they can nourish themselves properly.

We went to that slum several days and the first day we were greeted by the Steven's good friend Moses. After meeting Moses and talking with him a little bit the one word that I would use to describe him is, selfless. This man is so willing to serve. In fact he thrives on it. Everyone knows him and loves him. He loves to help people. Anyways, Moses showed us a school in Kibera that could really use our help. We went to visit the school and see the kids.

Overlooking Kibera....1.2 million people living on 600 acres.

We can NEVER complain....

They LOVE having their picture taken!

Beautiful Lesley showing us the garden in Kibera

The next day, Sam and I actually started teaching a little bit. They have all the same subjects except unlike public school in the states, they have CRE or Christian Religious Education. I was all about teaching that and it was what they loved to learn. I taught math, english, science, and reading as well. I was just excited that I actually got to share the gospel with many Kenyan kids at a school! Talk about an experience that is not likely to happen without serious consequences in the states. It was such an amazing experience.

Sam teaching...

Moses....These kids LOVED him!

Lunch time! Quite possibly the only meal they get all day....

Seriously....how cute is this face?

I love this picture!

Another fun opportunity was getting to help at a special education center called Heshima which means respect in Kiswahili. Children with disabilities are pretty much disowned in Africa. Parents, mostly fathers, are so ashamed of these children that they leave them locked up in houses or closets and do not care for them. We met Tracy, an American missionary who started this center for children with disabilities. What a blessing this was. They were precious and so smart!! I was so impressed by all that Tracy had done to make this center nice for these children.

FYI: If you want to make a donation to this ministry that is in great need or if you just want more information...their website is:

www.heshimachildrenscenterkenya.wordpress.com

We had the opportunity to shadow teachers at Michael's school as well. As I said, this is an American school so it was definitely different than the slums but still very different from the states as well. In case you didn't know, Sam is a secondary education/history major and I am an elementary education major so that is why we were set up with all of these experiences in schools!

The one full weekend that we were there, the Steven's took us on a weekend safari. First, we went to Lake Naivasha. We went on a walking safari at Crescent Island. It was so much fun and so cool!! Here are some pictures from that safari.

Great Rift Valley

Hello zebras...

Sam even killed one of the big 5....the cape buffalo. Stud.

So...to southerners this may not be a prize to kill.. It is called a Dik Dik and it is the smallest deer in the world. This is a full grown Dik Dik. How cute!

monkey

Beautiful! We got so close!

The next day we headed to Lake Nakuru. We went on a driving safari there. Again, so cool. Such fun experiences.

I like this picture...there were a million flamingos in the background

Beautiful African sunrise...

So...maybe we were really close to this zebra.. haha.

We also had the opportunity to FEED giraffes while we were there! Pretty sweet....

We also went to the market and learned to barter from Lesley. However, I have to say, no one can barter like this girl. She would fight and fight till she got the best prices! On our last day there we climbed the Ngong Hills. This was intense but there were some magnificent views.

After climbing the hills we headed home to finish packing and headed to the airport around 6:30. It was such a long trip back and we were so thankful to be greeted by some beautiful faces when we got home.

I took over 1,000 pictures so...I couldn't share them all. haha. We saw lots more animals and had more amazing views. Here are a couple of pictures from our last day at the school...

I'm in there somewhere!

I wanted to take sweet Cynthia home with me

So...that was my trip. I cannot explain the ins and outs of all the I experienced and learned while I was there. I can say that we, as Americans, are blessed beyond what we could ever imagine. We should never be allowed to complain. Those children that I had the privilege of meeting have NOTHING and still are thankful and content. It is a desperate land.

Also, the Lord has definitely been breaking my heart more and more for the world. I mean, if you would have asked me 3 years ago if I ever saw myself living overseas I would have said, "I hope that I would go where the Lord would lead me but I really just think I am supposed to serve in the states and maybe go on short-term trips." I still hope that I would say this. I do only want to be in the center of His perfect will. However, I think the Lord has definitely used these last two summers to break down some major walls. I am excited to see where God will allow me to serve one day. Whether it be in Mobile, Alabama forever or somewhere across the world. I am thankful that He allows me to have even a small part.

If you have made it to the end of this forever long post...Congrats! I hope you got just a small insight into what I experienced. Sorry it has taken me almost 5 days to officially post this. I will be back with more posts soon! I start my summer job/enrichment program next week and I finished my book for May while in Africa! So...lots to update!! I am still trying to catch up on sleep and get back in the swing of things.

Finally, I have to give a huge congratulations to two very special people and two amazing friends. Richard and Brynn are ENGAGED! It happened on Tuesday and I could not be more thrilled for these two! Congrats my friends!

Until later, Bwana asi fiwe! (Praise the Lord in Kiswahili)

Africa! Africa! Africa!

Well, school officially ended for me yesterday at about 8:45 am. Summer is here. Yes! The summer is starting out crazy and busy. Saturday is the day! Sam and I are leaving and heading across the world to Africa! We are so excited! Can't you tell?

I cannot wait to see what the Lord is going to do in both our lives. I'll be honest...flying across the world with just my brother is a little on the scary side but I am sure that it will fine. I am excited to see another part of the world. I know it will be such an amazing opportunity and I am so thankful!

So...obviously, this will be my last post for a couple of weeks.

Prayer requests? I have plenty!

You can pray for our safety. Pray for our safety as we travel and while in Africa

Pray that the Lord would allow Sam and I to be an encouragement to Michael and Lesley while we are there.

Pray that we might be an encouragement to those we meet in Africa.

Pray that the gospel would go out. (As it should every single day)

Pray that we would make the absolute most of every moment we have there!

I suppose you could pray that we enjoy ourselves...although I am pretty sure that is inevitable. :)

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for the prayers! They are so appreciated!

I don't know if Africa is ready for us......... :)

See you in two weeks! Maybe I'll be able to post a picture or something while I am there!

Two Great Years

Yesterday, May 1st, Brett and I celebrated two years together. We had so much fun. I woke up early and went to his house to surprise him and cook him breakfast. He was definitely surprised to find me walking into his room with a plate of pancakes! :) After we ate I went home to get ready and he came to pick me up a little later. We exchanged gifts and boy oh boy...I was in for a surprise...Look what he got me!!

I was so shocked and so excited. He got this lens for me because of my trip to Africa. I also got some beautiful tulips as well. I could not wait to try my lens out! He did so good and I felt completely spoiled!

We then headed across the bay to have lunch. We ate at California Dreamin' and had plans to go to the Fairhope pier or to the Grand Hotel so I could use my camera. However, it was a bit of a yucky day so we decided not to drive as far. We went to Five Rivers on the causeway. I had so much fun using my camera and practicing different things. We had a great time! Here are some pictures from our day....

2 YEARS! :)

I feel like this might be a good time to share exactly how Brett and I met. I was a sophomore and he was a freshman. My roommate, Julie knew Brett and one day she put it together that we might have a class together. We soon connected the dots and realized we had sociology together. We began to talk a lot in that class. He stole my phone and put his number in it and called himself so he would have my number....Creep. :) We began to text all the time. One day...after about 4 months of being friends, he told me he liked me and wanted to know if I felt the same way. I. was. shocked. I told him that I really enjoyed his company but that I just saw him as a friend. Dang.

Anyways, we continued hanging out and talking and just being friends. It never got awkward which shocked me! He just kept on being a great friend. About a month later, my feelings began to change. All of the sudden I was wondering if I might even like this guy. I tried so hard to not show anything or lead him on in any way. I still did not know if I was supposed to be in a relationship with this boy. I kept praying and trying to seek the Lord. I knew I liked him....but he did not know and I didn't want him to. One night, about three months after he had initially pursued me, we were talking on the phone and he said, "Laura, do you think we haven't dated because you aren't interested or because it's not the right time?" Dang. I was cornered and could not lie. I told him I just didn't think it was the right time. About a month later...or maybe less...we were dating. :)

After two years together I can say that without a doubt it was the Lord that brought us together in his perfect timing. I know that it was hard for Brett to wait five months but I know he would tell you that God taught him so much during that time. I am so thankful to have this boy in my life.

I love so much about him. His curiosity about everything, how unbelievably smart he is, his love for sports (not who he chooses to cheer for necessarily...Roll Tide!), his passion to help people, his servants heart, his consistent prayer life, his humor, his love for others, and most importantly his relationship with the Lord!

I am truly blessed and thank the Lord for blessing me with such an amazing guy.

Thank you for loving me and serving me so well Brett and for taking such great care of my heart for the past two years! I hope we have many more together!

Learning, Falling, Failing, and Being Forgiven

It's Friday. That statement alone should put you in a good mood. :) This has been a pretty stress free week luckily. My weekend started Wednesday afternoon which has been quite nice. I have been relaxing a good bit and laying by the pool....Have I mentioned I love this weather? Even when it rains I love it because it is warm out. My favorite.

On Wednesday I finished my book of choice for April. Yes, I am sticking to at least one of my new years resolutions! The book for this month was actually my very first Nicholas Sparks book. Brett got it for me as part of my Valentine's gift because I had said that I wanted to read a couple of books during this next year that weren't necessarily "Christian" books. I read

The Choice.

I have to say....I loved The Notebook (the movie...I haven't read the book) and this book was pretty similar in that it was a good love story. I mean...I'll admit it, I am a bit of a hopeless romantic so I am all about a good love song, story, etc. It thrills me to hear engagement stories, go to weddings, and all that jazz. It was the typical love story....girl meets boy....they eventually fall in love....a tragedy occurs....but in the end, a happy ending. Girls swoon over books and stories like these. I won't lie, I liked it. I was able to picture the story and put myself in the girls shoes.

But...As I was reading I kept asking myself, "why are you reading this?" While the overall story line was good I can honestly say it felt pointless to read it. I mean, there were sweet things in the book, things that the guy said to the girl that every girl wants to hear. But, there was also so much of the world in that book. There was cheating and sex before marriage and things that I am trying to keep myself from. By the end of the book I felt like I was fed a worldly love story that made my heart stir. Bottom line...I don't want the world to ever make my heart to stir. I know that it does and it does everyday but I choose what I put into my mind and my heart most of the time.

I am learning a lot about what it means to pursue holiness. I am also seeing how, so many times, I struggle to pursue it. I am grateful for a Savior who, I am confident, has forgiven me of every sin I have ever committed and every sin I ever will commit. That is a tough pill to swallow and one that I struggle to understand. I know all that He has done for me and I know all that He suffered. It is tough to understand how He doesn't look at me and think, "Seriously...you screwed up again? You have done this before and you know it's not fulfilling. What is wrong with you?" But, I know He doesn't. I am thankful. I am happy that He chooses to show His never-ending faithfulness, grace, forgiveness, and love.

What an awesome God we serve!

On that note, I hope your weekend is wonderful! :)

It's Not My Fault

So......my lack of posting as of late is not because of me. Seriously....I mean, I have been busy and been working on a million projects but I have had time to blog and wanted to blog. Here is the problem....Okay, about four years ago I received the best graduation present, my mac. I L-O-V-E it! However, this mac is four years old and is running on fumes. After four years of college it is full of pictures, music, and about a million documents, powerpoints, etc. Bless its heart. I'm sure it is thinking...."I am done." Or maybe that is just what I am thinking...Because seriously...I am done. It has been good to me but it is time for an upgrade. This will have to wait until sometime this summer and I am going to do my best to be patient. Basically, my computer is struggling to upload pictures and is really just acting old. Oh technology!

Anyways, I could update you on the past 2 weeks but I'll just go with this weekend. It was oozeball weekend. Some of my greatest memories have been made playing oozeball! It is volleyball played in 18 inches (give or take) of mud and it is so much fun! I have played every year except last year (not by choice :) ). Here are some pictures from these three fun years!

Some sweet friends at oozeball 2007!

:) oozeball 2008...back before we were dating but can't you just see

the admiration all over his face? :)

Our team in 2008

The Sticks in the Mud--2009 oozeball team!

Sweet boy..

After our domination. haha. Jk. We lost but had so much fun!

Well...that is all I got for now. Hopefully, we will have more luck with this computer soon! Macs really are amazing.....mine is just a bit ancient. :)

I hope everyone has a great week! I am hoping it goes by quickly because Saturday is a very special day.

I will be celebrating 2 great years with this guy. I am so thankful!

Happy Monday!

Opportunities and Expectations

So, as the semester is winding down I have been anticipating the arrival of summer! As I thought about it I realized it was the first summer that I made a decision to really do nothing. I don't mean nothing really....I just mean that I wouldn't be leaving for the entire summer. My first two college summer's were spent in Panama City Beach for Summer Beach Project and last summer I had the amazing opportunity to spend 2 months in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Because I have had such crazy summer's, the idea of spending a summer at home sounded nice and relaxing. I prayed about it for a while and decided it was really what the Lord wanted me to do.

About a month ago my mom, brother and I began talking about the possibility of Sam and I going to Africa for a couple of weeks. We have friends who are missionaries in Kenya and knew they would LOVE to have visitors. So....in literally a matter of about a week we decided that we were going to go!

We will be spending two weeks in Kenya and I could not be more thrilled!

We are going to visit this sweet couple, Michael and Lesley. They will graciously be opening up their home to us for those two weeks and showing us where they live and what they do. They have been in Kenya together for about a year. Michael teaches school and Lesley has a ministry where she teaches AIDS victims how to grow and cook vegetables for themselves. I am excited to see all that the Lord is going to teach both Sam and I as we travel. I am praying that we will be stretched and also that we will be able to be an encouragement to Michael and Lesley! I am so thankful for this unbelievable opportunity!

I have also been presented with another possible opportunity for when I return from Africa. At school, our professors presented us with an opportunity to participate in a summer enrichment program. If chosen, I would be working with 3rd-5th grade students. I would get lots of experience in my very own classroom but there would be no pressure. I would also get paid which is really just an added bonus and there is a possibility of a scholarship. I have applied but don't know if I will be accepted. I know that it would be a great opportunity and a great experience before I enter student teaching in the fall.

That is the update on a couple of my summer plans. Only 3 more weeks! Woo! Almost there! Have a happy Friday!

Hello Hello

Okay...so I have pretty much slacked the past couple of weeks. I'm going to be honest...there hasn't been much to say. My weeks in school have gotten pretty light which is awesome. I have been learning a lot which I promise I will share later. Right now I am watching GLEE!! Mmm...love it! Also, I have exciting news which again..I promise to share with all of those who don't know but it will be in another post. Right now, I have to go. Glee is calling my name. Also, I made 5 minute mousse today. Delish. Let me know if you want the recipe. Sorry so short and boring. A better post will be here soon. I suck. Sorry!